Summary: Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny find themselves in a Muggle hotel in Godric's Hollow on the Winter Solstice. During an enthusiastic snowball fight, Harry and Ginny step through a stone circle that transports them seventeen years into the past. This may be the only chance Harry has to spend with his parents, and it may also be what he needs to figure out his relationship with Ginny.

The warning is for later chapters.

Edit: So, this was originally strictly a Harry/Ginny fic, but Ron and Hermione kept trying to get together too, so I felt like I had to change the category. And there's a bit of Lily/James in there too, though they're already married, and I've also added a bit of Remus/Tonks. Poor Sirius is the only Singleton (though he may manage to get a girl of his own)!

Edit: This story was cannon until after Deathly Hallows came out, so I changed it to Alternate Universe, but it's still pretty close to cannon. Only a few things will end up being different when the story ends.

Edit: I've changed all of the chapter titles to the titles of Christmas songs that I felt reflected the events in the chapters best. Tell me what you think! Does it fit?

Summary: DH SPOILERS! Harry is so consumed with his career as an Auror that he loses touch with Ginny and their children until a letter arrives to help him remember what really matters. But is something sinister waiting out there to take it all away? An escape from Azkaban, the first in twenty years, stirs up Harry's worst fears from the past as those he loves are threatened.

Romance, mystery, and drama combine to make this a story you won't soon forget! Set one year before DH epilogue. Completely canon compliant. All reviews receive responses.

THE EPILOGUE IS UP! I don't know whether to laugh or cry as this story comes to an end, and Harry finally figures out where it's really at. (Thanks again to the amazing mods for your rapid-fire response!)

LOVE it! I caught myself smiling through the whole thing, it was wonderful! I'm so sad it's almost over. I feel like I was dying for chapter four to go up yesterday and now we're already at the epilogue :( I loved the exchange between Bill and Harry especially, and of course the end with Harry and Ginny. And I really like that each of the three missing children had a role in their escape. I'm glad Albus wasn't left out, since it wasn't hard to assume that it was James who stole the fireworks and Rose who figured out to follow the stream. You really are a wonderful writer and I really hope you keep writing after The Letter ends. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for anything you've written!

Author's Response: Thank you so much! Writing this chapter was very emotional, as you might imagine, not least because I\'m a little reluctant to see the story end myself. However, as I may have already indicated, I have a one-shot Christmas story featuring Harry, as well as Harry/Ginny, partially written and will post it here as soon as I have it finished. As I may have also indicated, I have an idea another idea for a full-length fic featuring Teddy as the main character, but not sure where that\'s going yet. In the meantime, however, there\'s still an Epilogue to come with this story, so you have that to look forward to in the near future. Many thanks for your loyalty to this story and for your delightful, consistent reviews.

I always forget to say something I wanted to say in my reviews! I just wanted to say that I'm glad you added all the little explanations at the end of the epilogue, I love hearing what JKR has to offer for background info and I loved yours just as much. And I've read from your responses what you're planning to write in the future, and I can't wait! I would absolutely love to see your take on Harry and Ginny's wedding and I can't wait for the Christmas story. And I will of course be looking forward to Teddy's story too.

Author's Response: Thanks! I wasn\'t sure whether to inclcude that information or not, but I did put a lot of thought into those names and figured some people would find it interesting. Or at least they\'d realize that my claims of \"method to my madness\" had some basis in truth (lol!). I\'m going to try to get the Christmas story completed in the next couple of weeks, but other fics will probably have to wait till after the holidays. I\'m looking forward to writing them, though, and to hearing from you again once they\'re posted. Thank you, \"Tomato.\" Your reviews are so deeply appreciated.

I know I already wrote in about this chapter, but I just went back and read your responses to my earlier reviews because I never realized you wrote back! My name comes from a high school english class, when my teacher was using vocab words in sentences. He used another word for nickname and said that my nickname is the raging tomato. No idea why, I don't have red hair or anything, but it stuck anyways. Just thought I'd let you know since you asked! And as always, I absolutely love your writing and I can't wait for the next chapter. You somehow include all these little details that JKR herself has always enchanted me with, I just love it. I honestly feel like this really happened before the epilogue in Deathly Hallows. I will probably never read the epilogue again without thinking of The Letter as what happened right before it. Keep up the great work and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Author's Response: Your comments actually brought tears to my eyes. The reason I wrote this in the first place was out of a sense of frustration with the infamous 19 year gap at the end of Deathly Hallows. I figured that if Jo wasn\'t going to give us the information, I\'d fill in the blanks myself, so I imagined what might have happened and it\'s actually been quite satisfying. But to know that something I\'ve written has had a similar effect on someone else is incredibly moving. This entire experience has had an enormous impact on my confidence as a writer, which had suffered a serious setback as a result of an illness and a couple of professional disappointments. I\'d started to think I\'d lost my creative spark, but all the lovely reviews I\'ve received with this story have restored my faith and I think I\'ll be able to keep writing with a lot more confidence now. Thank you so very much! And thanks for explaining your pen-name too. It was so unusual that I did wonder about it. Thanks again!

This chapter is great, I love it! I love that everything did not go perfectly according to plan (the whole imperturable charm thing) so it wasn't all too neat. I love that Hermione realized where the children had gone because she knows her daughter so well. Rose really is Hermione's daughter! I also really like that Hermione and Ron especially, but everyone else too, were involved in the rescue all along. I'm glad it wasn't just Harry and Ginny, as much as I love them. You did a really nice job of continuing the theme of allowing your friends to help you, which Harry finally learned to do in Deathly Hallows. And once again, that quick Harry-Ginny "normally I love this position..." was a nice touch of humor. I actually laughed out loud a bit when I read that! You really are a wonderful writer. Originally I thought, how hard could it be when you're handed the story and all the characters by JKR? But it's not that easy, not at all. You have to have imagination and talent to build on the story JKR has handed you, and that's what you've done. You have the imagination and the talent, and I would gladly read anything you've written. I hope you continue writing after The Letter comes to an end (which I am incidentally dreading...) Can't wait for Chapter 18!

Author's Response: I liked the \"Normally I adore this position\" line myself. And Harry was tied up too. Just think of the possibilities! lol! Of course the rescue would have to be a group effort in Harry\'s world. Love was such a central theme in the books, not just romantic love (which we saw precious little of in the series) but love between friends and another really huge one, the love between parents and children, or more specifically between mother and child. Yes, it is certainly easier to use already established characters, but a few of the peripheral characters, such as Zabini, McLaggen, even Teddy Lupin, needed some development as they were barely mentioned in the series. Actually, Teddy has grown on me through this process. I hadn\'t intended making him so prominent but I\'m thinking of doing a story with him as the central character and titling it \"The Furry Little Secret\" or something like that. We\'ll see how it goes. Anyway, thanks so much for your detailed and very thoughtful review. It is, as always, deeply appreciated.

I know I already reviewed, but I meant to say in my first one that the conversation between Harry and Al was sooooo adorable. I've never read a fanfic about the beginning of Harry and Ginny's relationship that mentioned this, but I always thought Harry would probably be really nervous about being a father because he never had one to learn from. But I know Harry would make a great dad, and your conversation between him and Al is exactly what I would hope for.

Author's Response: You\'re more than welcome to review as many times as you like. I\'m totally hooked on reviews, so fire away! Yes, I\'m sure Harry would have been a nervous dad. Not so much on the mechanical part of things (i.e., changing nappies, et al) as I\'m figuring he would have gotten a little practice when Teddy was a baby, but insofar as discipline and handling all the emotional needs that children have, I have no doubt it would have freaked him out a little. If you\'ll recall from Chapt. 2, Harry reflects on that very thing, that never having known his own dad was a huge disadvantage, especially when it came to his sons because he really didn\'t know what fathers were supposed to do with sons. Howevere, I\'m sure that Ginny would have been a huge help, as she\'d grown up in a family of brothers and had loving, protective parents to look to as role models. Anyway, thanks for your comments. As usual, they are very appreciated.

I'm so happy this was up today! I tried to make myself wait til tomorrow but I just had to check. This chapter is wonderful too, they just keep getting better and better! It all just seems so realistic, so likely. I'm a little confused about Teddy's appearance and Harry's hunches but I trust you to bring it all together in the end just like you have with everything else. And I really like the scene where Harry and Ginny are laying with Lily trying to get her to sleep, it was so sweet. I know I've said it before but I really will never forget this story whenever I think of the end of Deathly Hallows. You are a great writer and I am really thankful to have found your story!

Author's Response: I\'m so happy I read your review today, as it gave me something extra to be thankful for (I\'m writing this on Thanksgiving Day night). Yes, you are quite correct, Teddy\'s capture and Harry\'s hunches will be explained eventually, if not in the next chapter, then certainly by the end of the story. The scene with Harry, Ginny & Lily was especially vivid in my own mind. I was trying to see part of it from Lily\'s POV and tried to imagine how an 8-year-old would feel, having her brothers disappear that way, then seeing Mummy & Daddy so upset. I thought she would be very frightened & confused, and having them lie down with her would be very comforting at such a confusing time. Thanks again for your detailed and very flattering reviews. They are and have always been deeply appreciated.

I'm so happy this was up today! I tried to make myself wait til tomorrow but I just had to check. This chapter is wonderful too, they just keep getting better and better! It all just seems so realistic, so likely. I wish we could have seen more of Ron and Hermione's anxiety at not being able to go with Harry and Ginny, and I'm a little confused about Teddy's role in the plan and Harry's hunches but I trust you to bring it all together in the end just like you have with everything else. And I really like the scene where Harry and Ginny are laying with Lily trying to get her to sleep, it was so sweet. I know I've said it before but I really will never forget this story whenever I think of the end of Deathly Hallows. I will be so depressed when the story ends. You are a great writer and I am really thankful to have found your story! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Author's Response: I\'m so happy I read your review today, as it gave me something extra to be thankful for (I\'m writing this on Thanksgiving Day night). Yes, you are quite correct, Teddy\'s capture and Harry\'s hunches will be explained eventually, if not in the next chapter, then certainly by the end of the story. The scene with Harry, Ginny & Lily was especially vivid in my own mind. I was trying to see part of it from Lily\'s POV and tried to imagine how an 8-year-old would feel, having her brothers disappear that way, then seeing Mummy & Daddy so upset. I thought she would be very frightened & confused, and having them lie down with her would be very comforting at such a confusing time. Thanks again for your detailed and very flattering reviews. They are and have always been deeply appreciated.

no idea why my i just reviewed twice, i wasnt even done writing the first one when it went up! anyways, the second one is what i meant to say, i tried to delete the first but it wouldnt let me. cant wait for ch. 17!!!

Author's Response: I\'ve had the same thing happen to me a few times. It seems that if you put just the tiniest bit too much pressure on the \"submit\" button, it double or (in my case a time or two) even triple posts. The mods seem to go through and sweep out the extras every now and then, though, so don\'t worry about it. Chapt. 17 is well underway and I hope to have it posted soon. Thanks again!

As I've said many times before, I LOVE this story and I'm so sad to see it end. I missed all the suspense and cliffhangers from the rest of the story but I'm glad everything ended so well, as I knew it would from having read JKR's epilogue. You tied everything up so nicely and it was so great to see everyone together and happy. I like how you set up James teasing Al about Slytherin, too! I'm sure that went on much longer than we saw in JKR's epilogue. At first I wasn't too keen on your ending, but then I really thought about it, and I do love it. All Harry ever wanted was a family of his own, and it was so wonderful to see him so completely happy after hearing what Lily said. I will never think of Harry's adult life again without thinking of The Letter. Thank you so much for filling in the blanks for me and the rest of us who have loved every second of The Letter. Can't WAIT for your next fanfic!!

Author's Response: I knew from the beginning that those two words (\"I\'m Daddy!\") would be the final words Harry would speak. Having started him out as a workaholic who neglects his family, it seemed only right to end it by having him realize that, in the final analysis, his most important role in life was that of Ginny\'s husband and James, Al, and Lily\'s dad. After all, no man ever said on his deathbed, \"If only I\'d spent more time at the office,\" right? At any rate, I appreciate your comments and I\'m very glad you enjoyed \'The Letter.\' I\'ll be working on my Christmas story (\'To Hear the Bells Ring\') which deals with many of the same themes as this story, over the next couple of weeks and hope you\'ll tune in for that one as well once I get it posted. Take care and bless you for all your lovely, thoughtful comments (and I still love your \'handle\' - Raging Tomato!)

i LOVE this whole story, especially the moments when its just ginny and harry. it seems so likely, so real. im dying for chapter 10!

Author's Response: Love your penname (Raging Tomato?). Thanks for your review! There are some more Ginny/Harry moments coming up in Chapter 10, which I should have posted very soon. Thanks for reading. I\'m really glad you like the story.

Wonderful once again! I especially liked what Hermione says at the end, about not knowing where her daughter is for the first time in her life. It broke my heart to read that. Can't wait til after Thanksgiving to read the rest!

Author's Response: Hermione\'s anguished comments about Rose come from a newspaper interview I read years ago in which the mother of an actual missing child said something similar. It was a lot more heartbreaking in reality, let me tell you, so this is \"art\" imitating life, I suppose. I\'ll keep hammering away at Chapt. 16 throughout the holiday as time permits and hopefully get it posted soon afterward. Thanks for your thoughtful and very flattering remarks.

OH MY GOD I LOVE IT!!! i am positively DYING for the next chapter!!! you're such a good writer, i can't believe you came up with all these twists and turns! this is the best chapter yet!! please please please put the next chapter up soon!!!!

Author's Response: I\'ve already posted the next chapter, so now its up to the mods. They\'ve been pretty quick lately, though I hesitate to say that because every time I do, they seem to come down with an attack of the \"slows.\" There are another couple of surprises yet, one involving our old friend Teddy. Thanks for your review and your very kind words. Stay tuned!

Author's Response: Glad you love it. The mods found a slight problem with Chapter 9, but I\'ve resubmitted it and hopefully it will be approved soon and ready for you to read. Thanks for keeping up with the story.

i absolutely love your writing! i check 12 times a day to see if the next chapter is up yet. i cant wait to see what happens! i especially love the moments between harry and ginny. dying for ch. 13!!!

Author's Response: You might want to shoot off an email to the site administrators and see if they can\'t get to the updates a bit quicker. Chapt. 13 has been posted for awhile, but still not verified as of today (Nov. 16) though I hope it will be soon. They were getting everything verified with lightning speed for awhile there, but lately it\'s been kinda slow. Maybe it\'s the holidays coming up or something - everyone is busy. There\'s a really nice Harry-Ginny moment coming up in Chapt. 13 and some serious twists and turns in future chapters. I\'ve already written quite a bit ahead. It\'s just a question of how quickly everything can be approved so you can read it. In the meantime, however, thanks for your kind words. I\'m eager to know what you think of future chapters as well.